


The Death of Innocence

by EvilEkat



Category: Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-09 01:30:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5520380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilEkat/pseuds/EvilEkat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing up is optional. Until the circumstances force you to become the person you swore you'd never be. A story involving a destroyed Mystery Shack, midnight snacks, and a seemingly bottomless supply of Mabel juice</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Death of Innocence

**Author's Note:**

> New AN: Another older works of mine that I wanted to post here. I tried to resist the hype of post-NWHS but wound up writing a little something-something anyways. Looking back, I'm still surprised how some things are close to cannon with this. Although Ford has a more sympathetic side to him here than in cannon. Since it still holds up with everything post-ATTS, I decided I wanted to have it on this account as well. 
> 
> Old AN: Sooo, this is a guilty pleasure. I would normally never write something like this, that being a very quickly written reaction/sequel to a recent episode, but I needed some stress relief. Naturally there is MY OWN EKAT TWIST ON LITERALLY EVERYTHING, which usually translates out to horrible things in store for the reader of course hehe...
> 
> This in no way this will ever be close to cannon, and yet I still couldn't resist. Probably has to do with too many rabid plot bunnies, and not enough time.
> 
> Personally I think that Frankford (Screw the name Stanley! Frankford for president!) Will be a complete jerk and not be anything like Dipper was expecting. Maybe he even is feuding with Stan. I can hardly see Alex following the wills and whims of every internet fan ever. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up destroying the journals, and berating Dipper for following the same dangerous path that he did. Anyways, let's not talk about the future. On with the story!
> 
> Spoilers for the dreaded episode!
> 
> Before anyone asks, "Mabel juice" is not capitalized because it's just unbranded juice. Like saying orange or apple juice. 
> 
> Read, review, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.

Mabel sucked in a gasping breath, her eyes snapped open, leaving her wide awake as she lay in bed. Her blankets were twisted into knots and she had knocked off al her stuffed animals as she slept. She hugged her legs, and tucked her chin on top of her knees. It was just a dream, it was all just a _dream..._ This time at least. The girl chewed on her lip, glancing over at Dipper. Her brother tossed and turned feverishly in bed, curled up in the fetal position around his journal. Or was it _his_ journal? Now that the author had returned, she just wasn't so sure.

Mabel wasn't sure of anything any more... Dipper's words still echoed in her head. She had almost killed them all. She could've destroyed the entire universe, all because she put her trust in the wrong person. Stan, he was the _right_ person though! Dipper had been wrong! If she shut down the gateway, they never would've found _him!_ Her brother was so quick to forgive her after the fact, more eager to swarm the author with questions... It made Mabel feel sick to her stomach.

Something, something was just not right about the way that things had played out, and she didn't like it in the slightest. She had almost destroyed the entire universe! There should have been more repercussions to it than that! Just something, anything! She needed someone to talk to! Dipper was out of the question. She had betrayed her brother, her own twin! It was still to someone who was family, but the _betrayal!_ How could he even stand to look at her?! Stan, there was no way she could talk to him either... He had gone to "bed." Still exhilarated and tired after the day's events. Stan was the guy she had sided with. Talking to him made it feel like anything he said would be wrong.

The feeling in her tummy grew worse. She felt like the walls of the room were closing in on her and the air was practically unbreathable. Unable to stand the feeling any more, Mabel got out of bed. She shivered as her bare feet met the cold floor. The girl carefully picked her way through the wreckage of the Mystery Shack. Over-stepping boards, nick-knacks, insulation, and nails sticking out of the structure. Everything was a complete disaster. Not that she would have ever been able to prevent the surges of anti-gravity...

Not knowing what do to for her sore stomach, she decided that the only thing there really was to do was eat something, and maybe find safe medicine for it. One could never really trust the things that Stan kept around the house. For some reason the painkillers always tasted like powdered sugar, and the liquid medicine was more solid crystal than liquid. Stan already thought that going to a doctor or even buying medicine off the shelf was some sort of scam. Mabel realized she would probably just find something to eat, and nothing more than that...

Her bare feet padded against the floor, quietly making their way to the kitchen. Splintered chips of wood and shards of glass crackled underneath her feet. She took large, cautious steps, not wanting to step on anything too sharp. Luckily, the kitchen was probably the best room in terms of survival. Nothing was overly broken up in there. The wall was mostly in tact, and the window only had a few cracks running through it. The moonlight provided her with the visibility that she needed to get around.

However, all of the water pipes were now bent and twisted out of place. They'd have to start making repairs to the place soon if they wanted anything good to drink. She grabbed a glass and filled it to the top with lukewarm juice until the point where it should've overflowed. It took a bit of searching to find something suitable to eat. So many things were scattered over the floor and broken. She had to settle with cereal.

Mabel filled her bowl with the remaining cereal dust, and pulled out the unopened carton of milk. Luckily, it had not spilled since it was sealed shut. It was warm, heated by the summer night. There was no electricity in the Mystery Shack now. Mabel made sure to give it a good shaking before opening it, venting a few of her feelings in a rather tired, half-hearted fashion.

_She_ had destroyed the Mystery Shack...

_She_ had nearly killed them all...

Did that make her an attempted murderer? Was that even a term? Attempted murderer? Like... Gideon? That was one of the things he had gone to jail for, was it not? Was she going to go to jail, for almost killing everyone? The government was off their case for now, Stan said he lost them. But what if they returned, and she was arrested like Stan had ben?

Attempted murderer...

Would Dipper ever trust her again?

What had she done to deserve this?

Staring at the bowl on the counter, Mabel felt her stomach squeeze again. Suddenly, she didn't feel so hungry any more.

"Are you seriously telling me that after this many years, you still put back the empty box of cereal?!"

Mabel was surprised to hear a quiet voice snarl this from behind her. She almost jumped off the counter, having not heard anyone come up behind her. She knew there was nothing to be afraid of, but there was still something... Off with the man. The annoyed comment was not directed at her, but rather at a not present Stan. Or was his name really even Stan? She turned around to face him, the author. He had his head in the kitchen cupboard, and did not seem to realize that she was in the kitchen with him. It was dark after all, there was no way for him to see her standing.

"Dipper says the same thing."

The author jumped too, fumbling with the empty box of cereal until he ended up dropping it. He shut the door, staring her down in suspicion and something else. Something that Mabel did not quite understand.

"What are _you_ doing awake?" He finally inquired. "It's nearly three."

"I couldn't sleep." Mabel admitted, hanging her head.

The author nodded wisely, seemingly sympathetic with her plight.

"What are _you_ doing awake?" The girl asked.

"I don't sleep." He gruffly responded, tossing the cereal box behind him.

"Not even when you've been up for a really long time?" Mabel challenged, feeling curiosity bubble from within. "What about at sleep overs? You have to get tired then!"

"My coffee has higher caffeine levels than blood- I mean my blood has higher caffeine levels than coffee."

"You should try some of my Mabel juice." Mabel responded.

The girl quickly scampered over to the fridge and pulled out her one surviving container of Mabel juice. The author eyed the sparkles and plastic dinosaurs with obvious disdain. He took a step away from the odd girl.

"I'd rather have a coffee."

"There's no water." Came her simple answer.

The man was silent, weighing his options. Was it worth the potential food poisoning? He needed to stay awake. He had to stay awake otherwise bad things would happen to him. He knew that Bill would be itching to-

"Last chance!" The girl sung, shaking the container.

At this rate, he'd take what he could get.

"How bad can it be?" The elderly man sighed.

He let the girl pour him a glass of the mysterious substance. It looked almost like blue and pink sludge of some sorts. The drink was almost solid in consistency, it appeared to be filled with chunks of some sort. There were bits of sparkly stuff and other floating things on the surface of it. Things that did not look to be quite so edible. Or perhaps this was a normal young-people drink nowadays. But would this mystery drink even work?

The girl handed him the cup of "juice" quickly, seemingly reticent to stay too close to him. She didn't seem to be the shy type, but it was probably just caution on her part. The man could not say that he blamed her for it. The author swished around the contents of the cup, inspecting it for a moment. He could already tell that this was not going to be a pleasant experience. But he supposed it couldn't hurt. Lethally at least. His young relative wouldn't try to poison  him. Would she? Well, he'd rather be poisoned than listen to Bill's voice. With a tilt of his head, he forced himself to drink the stuff.

It was... Sweet. There was a slight hint of plastic dinosaur, and a sparky aftertaste. The glitter in it scratched against his throat; A rather unpleasant sensation that he would not be eager to feel again. The actual _taste_ of the concoction was fine. It was merely the... Additives that got in the way. Wincing still, he did his best to seem like he had actually enjoyed that monstrosity. He would gain nothing out of hurting the little thing's feelings.

"It tastes like juice alright." He gagged.

He set his glass on the counter. But then the girl filled it with even more of that vile substance! He groaned, but the little thing seemed oblivious to his plight with the odd drink. All he wanted was something to eat! And here he found himself in the kitchen with this little girl who kept insisting that he try the juice. Apparently children of the future had mind-reading abilities. She offered him the last of the cereal, holding up the bowl and spoon.

"I promise that I haven't eaten any of it yet."

Staring at the girl, he _knew_ that she wanted him to say no. It looked like she herself was starving after long day of stressful events. The  gleam she had in her eyes was a good enough indicator of what she truly felt. And yet, she still tried to give what little she had for him. Almost a complete stranger. As much as he would have liked to eat something normal for the first time in a long time, the girl's honesty and valor at the matter were impressive. The girl probably needed the strength much more than he did.

"It's soggy now anyways." The elderly man waved off.

The brunette nodded, a tiny hint of a smile on her face. She poured herself a second cup of that horrible juice abomination, and took the bowl over to what little remained of the overturned table. She cleared a spot on the ground before sitting cross-legged. The girl's purple nightie completely covered her legs and feet, making her look even more tiny. The author wondered how old the girl and her twin brother were. They just seemed so young. Too young to be involved in any of the crazy things that went on in the small town.

He joined the girl at the "table" sitting down on a wooden beam across from her. It creaked, and a slight cloud of dust rose as he sat down. Of course, she seemed to notice that he "accidentally forgot" his next glass of gnome barf, and was kind enough to retrieve it for him. The author desperately looked for somewhere to pour the stuff without hurting the girl's feelings, but she just kept staring at him. Left with no choice, he downed another swallow of the poison, making it look more convincing. The kid kept staring at his face though. Well, no surprise there he supposed. She most likely saw the differences between him and his brother dearest, but was quickly searching for more. That didn't stop him from feeling less annoyed with her. The author decided to delve in to this "conversation" thing to stop her from staring at him.

"So tell me, what are you doing up again?"

What little hint of a smile she had was wiped off her face. The girl stared down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs. She didn't want to speak about that it seemed. Was he to blame as the reason why she was up? Well, he could take a little heat.

"I don't sleep." He reminded. "I can wait all night if I have to."

"I-I nearly killed us all." The brunette admitted.

"And?"

"I should have listened to Dipper! But if I did then you wouldn't be here!"

"Do you _want_ me to be here?" He asked, taking a second sip of the concoction.

"I don't know!" The brunette said, throwing her arms in the air. "Stan was so happy! And Dipper never would have found out who you were without this. B-but."

"You nearly killed us all." He filled in.

She nodded tearfully, hanging her head so that her hair covered her face. Tears sparkled and snapped in her eyes. Frustrated, hurt, confused, and deceived. He was no stranger to any of those things... The words seemed to echo around the room in a haunting fashion, reminding the girl of what she had almost done. What her choices could have caused.

"I-I nearly killed us all." She quietly repeated.

The author felt something tug his heartstrings. Well maybe not his heart, but at something within his brain. The cortex maybe? No, that had a different function. He hadn't needed to know much about human anatomy in a while...

"It was inevitable." The author said in a firm tone of voice. "Had you chosen to shut it down, you'd still have to deal with the whole United States' Military. Come to think of it, that's still going to be a problem."

The girl's attention snapped back to him.

"Y-you mean-?"

"Having bad things happen was a little... Inevitable. If you should blame anyone, blame my brother. Luckily, we survived. Who knows what would've happened if you picked the other one? Maybe we would be dead for real."

"B-but you never would have been here then!"

The author gave another one of his nonchalant shrugs at this. His attention focused back on his latest cup of evil. Had he not just finished the last one? This would make it his third! Still, he decided to brave it. The elderly man drank the rest of the Mabel juice, sans the dinosaurs, in one big gulp. Oh that stuff was _horrible._ Sweet, but still horrible. It was so sweet that it made his fillings ache in pain. Alright, well maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. It was not completely horrible, but it was still pretty bad.

"So?"

"Don't you care that I nearly stopped you from seeing Stan?!" The girl asked, growing agitated at his emotionless responses.

"Why should I?" The author asked, picking up his empty glass and studying it.

He squinted at the glass, searching for some sort of hidden properties within. Maybe it was a magically refillable glass of some sort? A cursed cup? A very polite ghost that didn't want him to run out of Mabel juice? No, scratch that, only very vindictive ghost would make him suffer like this. _Unless_ , it was a nice ghost that was just really dumb like the girl and thought that he enjoyed the vile substance...

"He's your brother!"

"He would get over me." The author dismissed, rolling the glass in the palms of his hands. "He has you two after all."

"B-but he spent thirty years trying to save you!"

"Your brother forgave _you_ pretty quickly." He added. "It's pretty much the same thing."

"I-I almost killed us all!"

The man gently pried the girl's hands away from the jug of semi-decent juice that she would occasionally take a sip from.

"No more of this stuff for you." He scolded.

"You and Dipper both." She grumbled, already feeling the after effect of her crazy substance.

"Yes." The elderly man pacified, rubbing his stubble. "Tell me; What's Dipper like?"

He smirked as the girl seemed to calm down from her hysteria and confusion again. She sat down, ruffled feathers smoothed as she had something to distract herself with. The topic of her brother seemed to help her relax in her seat again. The author drank the last of his juice. It was amazing how she was able to create something so sweet without any horrible after taste to it. The usage of sparkles to counteract it was sublime...

"Well, Dipper's been searching for you like, all summer. Especially after he used your advice to save me from those gnomes on the day he found it-"

The author frowned, and rubbed his forehead. He was beginning to feel a little sick to his stomach, almost dizzy. Occasionally he felt like he was seeing doubles of things. It was probably the juice's fault. Stupid, horrible Mabel juice and all of its dinosaur-glittery glory.

"So you mean he has my journals?"

"No. Just the third one. Anyways, after that he started to become more and more intent with where he looked for you, doing all sorts of crazy stuff! He had an entire board and count down list of suspects an everything! He even suspected Old Man McGucket at one point!"

"Old Man McGucket? Is that what Fids calls himself these days?"

"He sorta' lost his memories trying to forget what he worked on with you." The girl explained. "But we got them back from the Society of the Blind Eye after we stopped them from erasing people's memories of the supernatural-"

_"What?! It was him all along?! H-how could he?..."_

"-But that's a different story for a different time! Anyways, Dipper gave him back his laptop, the one that mister idiot triangle guy Bill destroyed- Wait! I forgot that part! But that's also another long story where this weird baby-child Gideon had this crush on me, but the feeling wasn't mutual! So he kinda' ended up hating our family's guts and wanting to steal the Mystery Shack or something. I dunno', it was never really that clear and so-"

_"Bill?! But t-they're just kids! Twelve-year-old kids! Even I couldn't deal with him, and I'm older than them! What was Ford thinking when he-"_

"-and yeah. So after that we never left Wendy and Soos together with the radio on, because Soos would end up blaring that song she hates and-"

The girl continued to spill her many colourful stories of the adventures she and her brother with friends had been through in Gravity Falls. Gnomes, multi-bears, robots (Oh he couldn't wait to get his hands on Fiddleford for endangering them!) Disguised as lake monsters, hide-behinds, ghosts, vindictive dream-demons named Bill... All throughout, he had to take sips of his Mabel juice to keep calm. He refilled the glass himself for the first time without even realizing that he had. He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts. How could his brother just let them do all of this?! What sort of a guardian was he anyways, letting them deal with all of these creatures?! Vivid imaginings came to mind as he recalled each of these monsters to go with the stories, with the exception of a few new ones. But those images were even more terrible, because he did not know what to expect from this.

How had they escaped nearly unscathed each time?! It had taken in nearly an entire week to lock up his experimental shape-shifter, only to have it escape on him not matter the container that he locked it within! This was wrong! So wrong! He never would have thought that the boy let alone _anyone_ would unearth one of his books! And look what it had caused! The author took a gulp of his Mabel juice to calm down. This family would be the death of him! The absolute death! He had never wanted anyone so young to be involved in this! Those twins, they were just children! All the dangerous things that went on in this town could have seriously harmed them, and his brother just let it be! Gravity Falls could scar a person permanently, there was no escaping the pull of the town once you got a taste of it.

They were just children! Innocent children who had fallen victim to the gravitational pull of his damned Oregon town! It had manipulated them. Ensured that everything they cared about was in this town. Now it held it all in it's clutches. Fate could strike when it chose do so, destroying them. It would cause everything they cared about to change, and there was nothing that would ever be able to prevent it. Nothing at all.

The author poured himself another glass of the delightful juice the girl had created and chugged it all in one go, hoping that the sweet substance would rid him of the bitter taste and rising bile in his stomach.

These twins, children barely older than twelve...

They saw what they shouldn't have.

They got involved, tangled.

Stuck in the mess of the past.

A mess that selfish men refused to pick up.

A mess that cost the girl sitting before him something. He supposed he was rather selfish... But so was his brother. He didn't have to admit that to anyone. The things that he and his brother had done to this girl, this _sweet little annoying child,_ forcing her to choose like this, forcing her to think so much beyond her years... He had a refill of the Mabel juice to help calm himself down once again. The stuff was great. It made him feel like all his worries were slipping away, like everything was just fine. He was living through a happy childhood summer again, with him and his twin. It was all perfect and there was nothing to be stressed about because they were kids. They were happy and did not have to face any of their problems quite yet... Everything would be just fine. The author rubbed his eyes, trying to shake himself out of the moment of blissful unawareness. But he still felt more calm now. So much more relaxed. e felt like he hardly had a worry in the world, because the Mabel juice was there to help him feel better about it all.

Growing up is optional. Until the circumstances force you to become the person you swore you'd never be. Knowing that for a brief moment, she had control of the _entire universe..._ It made him regret building that machine more than he ever had before. Knowing that she had been pushed beyond the boundaries of herself, only to leave her confused and distraught... Nothing good could come of this. It was the material that demons thrived on. The one true sob story that would leave for the deal of the century... He had to keep Bill away from this girl at all costs. He would make promises and pretend to understand her human feelings. He would have her singing his praises within a matter of minutes.

This never should have happened to such a young girl.

It was the death of innocence as he knew it.

"Mister Author-Guy?" She timidly asked. "You look a little scary right now."

It was only then that the author realized the grip on his eternally refilling Mabel juice had drastically tightened, and was shaking in his hand. If he had a mirror, there was no doubt that his expression would be even worse. The author tiredly blinked, trying to focus on his thoughts. But for some reason, there seemed to be two of the girl, staring at him. No, she had a twin. A twin brother... he had a twin brother... What... What was going on here? His grip on the Mabel juice slackened. The cup fell to the ground and shattered.

"You're a good girl, you know that?" He asked.

"Er, ok."

"You have family that cares about you. No matter what, they care. They'll forget all about this if you give it some time. They care too much for them to ever hate you for what you've done."

She seemed almost awed by his words, surprised that he had said something longer than a sentence. The glimmer of hope and amazement in her eyes caused him to laugh a bit. He had destroyed this little girl's innocence by his mere existence. It probably wasn't the first time he had done that to a person. He had been told time in and time again that everyone would be happier if he didn't exist, but he never had any proof to support the claims. Until now. Well who would've thought?

The author gave a dark chuckle, sipping more of the Mabel juice. He didn't seem to notice that the glass had fallen to the floor because it was there in his hand again. Refilled to the brim. The took another gulp. Great stuff that Mabel juice was. He felt more alive than ever, ready to take on the world and them some. He just loved how the glitter scratched at his throat like sandpaper. It was almost like having a throat massage without the choking and screams of "I'm gonna' kill you!" Why hadn't he had this stuff before?

Mabel, yes _Mabel_ was that little bugger's name, she tilted her head, quite adorably at him, like baby puppycat.

"What's so funny?" Mabel wondered.

"Mabel." The author hiccupped, getting to shaky feet. "I propose a toast!"

"A toast?" Mabel inquired.

"Gimme' your glass."

He grabbed it from the girl and poured her a generous helping of Mabel juice. There was no need to be stingy after all. Mabel juice needed to be shared with the world! First he would share his new discovery with his young relative Mabel! She would appreciate this drink no doubt!

"I thought you said I shouldn't have any more."

The author narrowed his eyes from behind his glasses. The past! Why did that frame of time always have to cause so much problems for him?! Here he was, trying to have a moment to appreciate life with his grand-niece-daughter... His young relative, and it got in the way! People from time and the past were jerks. Especially that Time Baby! But... He was sort of from the future. Well, the future was awful as well! He had another drink of Mabel juice. It was always there to calm him down. Perfect, wonderful Mabel juice...

"Don't live in the past." The author admonished. "It'll just hold you down, knowing that it will repeat no matter how hard you try to avoid it."

Had the author been coherent and not slurring his words together, his reply might have sounded somewhat profound. It didn't though. But that excuse seemed to be sufficient enough for Mabel. She too climbed to unsteady feet and joined on his side of the table so the could toast properly.

"Cheers!" The elderly man started. "To persistent, caring, lovable, family!"

"To family!" Mabel nodded.

Mabel chugged her entire glass of Mabel juice, while the author took a swig directly from the bottle. He nearly choked on one of the non-edibles, but he didn't really care. This Mabel juice was great! It did wonders for making him feel a lot more awake! Better than any coffee he'd ever had! He wiped the blue and pink syrupy stuff from his chin, and made sure that the girl's glass was refilled again. This juice needed to be shared, shared with the world!

"To loving friends! No matter how estranged and insane they may be!" The elderly man added.

"To friends!"

Again, both of the Pines drank from their bottomless supply of Mabel juice.

"To Gravity Falls!" He hiccupped.

"Yeah!" She agreed.

A third round followed, and before either one of them knew what was happening, they were simply passing the jug of Mabel juice back and forth, each one taking turns to toast whatever came to mind. Mabel his greatest-grand-niece... He really needed to remember how families worked and how they were related to each other again... _Mabel,_ his young relative passed out after the fifth toast, honoring loyal pets that would pull through in times of need. The girl fell asleep almost on him, haphazardly slouched between the shattered kitchen table and his shoulders. He relieved her loosening hands of the glass before it dropped and shattered like his hadn't.

Although, come to think of it, how had the gravity surges not broken it before? Ah well, no matter, so long as his brother dearest wasn't left without one less glass to never wash. Was that double negative? He couldn't really think right now... It was only now that the author realized that he was down to his last tiny shot of Mabel juice. He inspected the liquid within the jug, swirling it around with faint amusement. Then he looked at the dozing girl, and knew what he wanted to toast for. Raising the jug as high in to the air as his arm would stretch, the elderly man gave her a brief nod.

"To you Mabel, and the challenges that you faced." He murmured. "To the death of innocence..."

The author downed the final sweet drops of Mabel juice, the taste of childhood and naïvety, the feeling of no worries, and clear skies ahead. This girl certainly was one of a kind, and this juice hers was great! He had never felt so awake and aware of everything around him before! It felt like he would never have to sleep again! His problems would catch up to him sure, but he didn't have to think about it. Bill could stuff his fancy clothes and squeaky voice where the sun didn't shine for all he cared. That guy just didn't know when to shut up and go away. The author realized that his eyes suddenly seemed very heavy. He leaned against the table and closed his eyes. That Mabel juice... Sure... Kept him awake... The author realized that he was fighting a loosing battle. For now, he was just going for forget about that stupid triangle's plans to get some rest.

He'd worry about reality in the morning.

 

_**Fin** _


End file.
